In a significant international effort to combat online content piracy, Vietnamese authorities, collaborating with South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, have successfully shut down three websites operated by a married couple. These sites, based in Vietnam, were found to be illegally distributing copyrighted content, primarily Korean webtoons.
According to the ministry, the couple allegedly translated Korean webtoons into English and disseminated them without authorization to a vast global audience across Asia, North America, and Europe. This illicit operation had been ongoing since January 2023, with the perpetrators reportedly generating substantial profits through online advertising and user donations.
Authorities revealed that approximately 14,700 webtoon titles were illegally circulated through these three platforms, with Korean content comprising about 70 percent of the total. The combined annual visits to these unauthorized sites reached an staggering 1.1 billion, resulting in estimated damages of 207.2 billion won (US$136 million) to content creators and copyright holders.
The investigation into this widespread webtoon piracy began after the South Korean ministry detected the criminal activity during a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese officials in June of last year. Working closely with Naver Webtoon, investigators meticulously gathered evidence, leading to the identification of the suspects in September and the launch of a comprehensive probe into the copyright infringement.
Last month, Vietnamese authorities questioned the married couple regarding the online piracy allegations. This action culminated in the seizure of the sites’ servers, effectively dismantling their illegal operations. Prosecution proceedings are anticipated to follow once the ongoing investigation is finalized.
Seoul’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is actively exploring options, including the potential extradition of the suspects and the recovery of illicit proceeds. Furthermore, efforts are underway to pursue copyright certification procedures in Vietnam for the affected Korean cultural works, bolstering legal protection against future infringement.
Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young lauded the case as a “meaningful example” of the power of public-private and international cooperation in combating overseas copyright infringement of Korean content. He emphasized the global commitment to protecting creative works.
“We are dedicated to strengthening international cooperation to fight illegal distribution and ensure that Korean cultural content receives its rightful value and recognition worldwide,” Minister Chae added, highlighting future initiatives to safeguard intellectual property.
